Hotels use sensors to bill for uneaten snacks, hit guests with unexpected charges

The mini-bar at the Ambassador Hotel senses when guests remove an item, even if they don’t consume it, but a staff member manually checks the bar in each room and corrects any errors before the consumer is charged. Credit: Rick Wood

Most consumers know that if they drink anything from the minibar in their hotel room, they'll be charged. But did you know some hotels now automatically charge your bill if you as much as touch the snack tray — even if you don't eat anything?

Automated minibars with sensors and snack trays with built-in electronic scales are now common practice at hotels, including Hilton, InterContinental, DoubleTree and Sheraton. But a slew of complaints in hotel reviews online reveal consumers still get taken by surprise when they discover "incidental" charges on their bill for food they never consumed.

A manager at Milwaukee's Ambassador Hotel estimates that as many as 90% of automatic charges for the minibar turn out to be in error. There, a staff member checks the bar in each room and corrects any errors before the consumer is charged. But at other hotels it's often up to guests to find the false charges.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter who visited a DoubleTree hotel on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago at the end of August discovered six charges marked "minibar" on his bill. They ranged from $6.06 to $7.72 each. The reporter was puzzled because he and his family didn't eat anything from the tray and hadn't seen any signs warning they'd be charged if items were removed or moved around.

When heinquired at the front desk about the unexpected charges, he was told the hotel automatically bills guests if an item is removed from the snack tray, even if the guest puts the item back. A hotel rep agreed to remove the charges.

The Public Investigator contacted a spokeswoman at DoubleTree by Hilton to find out whether the apparent lack of a warning at the Chicago location was a mistake and to ask why the automatic system was implemented. A spokeswoman would not answer those specific questions, but wrote that hotels in the chain have the option of installing sensors in their snack trays.

"A small number of our hotels have units that do use motion-sensor technology, and should include information on the menu card or unit stating the way in which the sensors work," the spokeswoman said in an email.

In automated minibars generally, each snack spot has a sensor. A guest's account is typically charged if an item is moved, although a charge sometimes occurs only when the item isn't put back within 60 seconds. That's potentially problematic for guests with curious kids or those checking nutritional labels.

Guests at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Chicago have complained about automatic charges at the hotel going back to at least 2010.

In response, a DoubleTree representative wrote: "Our mini bar and snack tray are sensory activated so if a guest happens to pick up an item for a few seconds, they can erroneously be charged for something they didn't eat. If something like this occurs, we just ask the guest to be honest about the mistake at check-out."

Amy Schneider, assistant general manager at the Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee, wasn't surprised to hear about guests at other hotels being billed for food they didn't eat.

"That's dishonest. If they don't have a sign, that's a level of dishonesty," she said.

Schneider said Ambassador implemented an automatic minibar during a renovation four or five years ago. Guests initially complained about automatic charges, but the hotel has since adopted a system in which an employee checks that items were actually consumed or opened before the guest's credit card is charged.

"Nine times out of 10, it just means something was picked up and put back," she said. "No computer is a foolproof system. You always need human interaction."

Schneider explained that at times, guests open up bottles or containers, eat some of the contents and put the item back or tamper with the contents. People might also consume what's in the snack tray and replace it with an item from a store. Housekeeping might not notice those things, but hotel staff will if they're alerted that an item has been touched.

The automated system is meant to discourage guests from such behavior, but it doesn't necessarily make financial sense for hotels.

Guests may feel the high prices in the minibar are a ripoff, but the costs associated with the special snack sizes, extra inventory and extra labor to restock the minibars and double-check the computer system mean Ambassador isn't making a profit off its automatic minibar, Schneider said. Yet, the hotel plans to keep the system as a convenience to its guests.

"It allows bar attendants to know exactly which rooms need to be refreshed with particular items vs. attendants having to check every single room carrying all of the minibar items," McKanders wrote in an email to the Public Investigator. "It also eliminates the need for the attendant to write up an order for what was consumed, and then take all of those orders and manually ring them up into the system, something that takes quite a bit of time and effort."

She said guests are warned about charges in advance, and guests "generally recognize an automated minibar without an issue."

Nonetheless, it's a good idea to check your bill before you check out.

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Tips to avoid being charged for hotel snacks

■ Assume there'll be a charge for any food in your room unless a sign specifically states that the item is complimentary.

■ Some hotels offer to lock the minibar so kids and guests can't access it. Ask for it if you think it's necessary.

■ Need a hotel fridge for leftovers, beverages or snacks? Some hotels offer refrigerators for a fee.

■ If you just want to cool your own beverages, use the wine cooler in the room, bring your own cooler, or cool drinks by putting them in the tub or sink along with cold water and ice cubes.

About Gitte Laasby

Gitte Laasby is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Public Investigator. She investigates government issues and consumer affairs.